Thule TH9490 EasyBase Carrier Base Unit Tow Bar-Mounted

Last year I sold my old SAAB estate in favour of something more economical. We go on a lot of camping holidays and have a massive family tent, so one of our requirements for the new car was that we needed to be able to get all of our camping gear in it. This gave us something of a problem, because the more economical cars all seemed to have significantly less storage space than the SAAB. Then we made a lateral leap of logic. We only need the extra space for those few journeys a year when we have all of the camping gear. The rest of the time any of the cars we had been looking at would have plenty of space. We already have a top box, so I started researching trailers. I wasn't entirely happy with the idea of buying a trailer - firstly because they aren't cheap, secondly because they are a highly nickable item. Then I stumbled upon the Thule Easybase and it seemed to tick all of the boxes - removable, packs relatively flat for easy storage indoors or in the back garden, holds a decent payload - so we got the garage to throw in a towbar with single electrics on the new car and purchased the Easybase. When I unboxed the parts to build it I realised that it was much larger, and more robust, than I had expected. I assembled the whole thing, apart from routing the lights and cables. on the kitchen table. It took about 45 minutes to build. Then I took it outside and fitted it onto the towbar. I could then easily route and secure the wires for the signal and brake lights under the base of the Easybase and to the electrics connector on the towbar. I got a plate made at Halfords and I was ready to rock. We haven't yet used it for camping, as we bought it just after our last holiday of the year, but it has been used a few times to take things to the dump and I find it very useful. You can fit it to the car in a few minutes and, with a few bungees, it holds loads securely without feeling like you're towing something. All in all, a good purchase that saved massively compared to buying a larger car.

Brilliant carrier - really adds extra space to your vehicle The carrier is sturdy, well built and well thought out. It comes flat pack and is best built with two people as you need to line up a lot of holes to thread bolts through. It's easy to build with step by step instructions. Once built you can see the attention to detail from Thule - the light clusters have protective metal over them so when you lay it/stand it on the floor you can't accidentally break the lights. It is quite heavy but can be comfortably managed by one person. Simply slips over your tow bar and then is tightened by a large spanner which is provided. Once it's tight you can connect your electrics up. We purchased the Thule lock as extra so once it's on the tow bar it cannot be removed with out a key. When the carrier is empty you can fold down the upright section flat so you can still open your boot without removing the carrier. This can also be folded down to aid storage when not in use. All the reviews state it can take 45kg of weigh but the actual box and instructions state 60kg. Does partially block reversing cameras when on the tow bar but that should come as no surprise Very sturdy and feels very safe when in transit

For what it is, this rack is a bit overpriced, hence only four stars, but the Thule brand comes at a premium. In every other respect, this rack is excellent: very sturdy, worked well on my 2017 VW Touan towbar. My biggest gripe is that the fixing for the towbar has to be tightened with spanner (supplied) Where as the bike carrier Ione of the same brand has a much more straightforward lockable clamp. If you want to lock this hitch rack to your towbar you will need to buy a separate lock, from what I can see of the reviews the Thule brand lock isn’t that great, so I didn’t bother. Having said all that, the rack is very straightforward to fit to a tow bar. Update - have been using this regularly for over 3 years. Great for family holidays, freeing up space inside my modest MPV so my three teenagers aren't jammed up against each other. Great carrying capacity. Works best with a large luggage bag (I bought the Vault one, available on Amazon) with luggage straps to secure it to the carrier. Have used it in all conditions - no problems, very sturdy, very well made.

The Thule Easybase is a simple and brilliant idea. A small amount of putting together initially, not too tricky if you can follow instructions. Once put together it is simple and quick to put on the tow-bar of your vehicle. Spanner provided to tighten up and you are away. We did not purchase the extra waterproof bag, but opted for a very big tarpaulin and some sturdy straps. We used the base to carry our camping gear on the back of our campervan. Managed to fit a good amount of stuff on and wrapped it in the tarp and secured it. The unit is sturdy and steady and is so easy to put on and off. It fold for storage and is a reasonably priced alternative to a trailer or a roof rack. Really pleased with it a good sturdy well made bit of kit. Amazon as usual brilliant.

Bought this for our two electric bikes as they are too heavy for a standard bike rack and cheaper (and more versatile) than a dedicated towbar bike rack. This is an excellent unit. Very strong, well made and grips the towball like a vice, once tightened it is clamped solid (I had some doubts about this when purchasing, but it really does grip without damaging the ball). I'll be using it for my tip runs too once I've got a box or bag for it. Much better than a small trailer. I'm going to mount a couple of U channels for the bike wheels, but that's just my preference. Only niggle is that I can't open the boot of my Volvo S80 with the vertical bar in place. It does fold relatively easily, but not when the bikes are aboard. Still give it five stars though. It is easy, if a little time consuming, to assemble and easy to place on the car and remove. Nice one Thule.

A great piece of kit & just what I needed My car won't take roof bars unless I have a permanent rail set fitted - but is rated for 150kg nose weight on the tow ball - so I figured this would be perfect. I was a little concerned that the unit is only rated for 45kgs but by the time I realised that, it was too late to buy an alternative. I did find a product called Bak Rak that was similar and rated to 100kgs - so I figured that Thule were probably just being conservative. I wasn't going to make 2 trips and my family couldn't be persuaded to leave anything behind, so I tightened it up as much as I could by hand, it seemed rock solid, so I loaded it up - all seemed good so off we went. I checked it a few times along the way and all looked good - we arrived in the ski resort 800 miles later and everything was fine. I considered the Thule bag, but knew it would be filthy when I arrived, so decided to use bags I already had (Ice Hockey goalie kit bags) & use pallet wrap - which turned out to be the better option as I could just cut that off when we arrived and carry the clean bags up to the apartment. Two of our party are flying back, so the rack will be in the boot for the return journey.

The box we wanted to go on this did not arrive in time for holiday, so both gone back. Might have kept it had I been able to try it but the box as arrived was really heavy (seemed even heavier than my 2 bike Thule carrier tho not supposed to be). Had i been able to put it on tow bar and see it, I might have kept it for other purposes, as it was, both items going back. Didn't look particularly easy to assemble, so 3 stars there, lock had to be purchased separately, and comparing price and what you get get for your money with the bike carrier, rated it 3 for value. No doubt it's very sturdy, so 5 there. But appreciate this review is not based on use!!

This is just the job in place of a trailer. We were not sure about a small trailer for a camping trips, then saw this which had good reviews. As we th most, a little concerned that it all sits stable enough on the ball of the tow bar. So putting together, I placed out all the parts to make sure they were all there, spot on. What is worth noting is that some of the bolts & washers were already in place. So nothing was actually missing. Make sure you ch VK each one you use is correct size/length. I put mine together off the ball, in my living room. Partially tightened the nuts then when they were all on, I went over them all to tighten. Worth having a socket set to hand, it makes it a bit easier. When I was putting the electrical leads on it thought it could do with a couple more. But that’s just me being picky. I found a few Velcro straps that did a nice tidy job to finish. What I did notice is that the plug & socket is a little stiff to place together and take apart, maybe that’s just uninitiated and it should be that tight? Placing the unit on the vehicle was simple. I put it on the ball, held my legs to steady in place, then started tightening the screw into the ball. The spanner works a treat and does a good job. Not sure how I would be able to work out what pressure to tighten without a specific scanner. So I hope I tighten enough, and not too much! I check d the lighting which had no problems. And sits lovely in place. I’ve bought some straps and wait to take her out to test.

Montaggio rapido, comodo,robusto e non si muove di 1 cm. Spedizione, tempi di consegna, imballaggio Amazon impeccabile come sempre. Installato sul camper lo uso per portare bici o ingombranti con apposita bauliera. Eccellente qualità prezzo lo consiglio vivamente. Le bici sono installabili senza canaline ma consiglio l'utilizzo e acquisto dei bracci reggi bici Fiamma o similari

Buen sistema de transporte,facil de montar e instalar. Muy buena relacion de calidad-precio. Recomendable para todos los transportes y bicicletas.

Utilisé en plate forme de transport , il remplit parfaitement son usage. Bémol : les points d'ancrage de l'arceau sont très proéminents quand on ne monte pas celui-ci, c'est dommage,car je vais être contraint de les scier, ce qui empêchera un éventuel montage ultérieur de cet arceau. Pour améliorer la plate-forme, je vais la recouvrir d'une plaque de contre-plaqué marine. Les feux et le support de plaque d'immatriculation sont fragiles. Hormis ces remarques, c'est un bon produit, un peu lourd, notamment pour la mise en place par une dame.

Hab den Träger in Verbindung mit der Thule Tasche bestellt, um die Restlichen Koffer die nicht in den Kofferraum vom Golf passen doch mit in Urlaub nehmen zu können. Der Aufbau ging problemlos, mitgeliefertes Werkzeug wurde nur durch eigenes ersetzt. Einmal am Wagen befestigt war er auch fest. Kein wackeln oder kippen. Hab zwar in den Pausen in Richtung Urlaub immer mal dran gerüttelt, aber war eigentlich nicht nötig. Besser würde ich es finden wenn man ihn ohne die Klemmschraube zu lösen abkippen könnte, wie bei einem Thule Fahrradträger. Aber wenn man doch mal an den Kofferraum muss kann man einfach den Bügel abschrauben. dauert keine zwei Minuten

Pour un voyage à cinq ds la voiture, problème de bagages résolue avec 45 kg de valises sur le plateau aucun souci sur la route, pas de prise au vent, pas de surconsommation . Il faut de la place après pour le ranger.